Tips for Preventing Slip and Fall Accidents at Your Business

How often do you have to reset it? And how many of those resets are the result of someone slipping and falling? We’d wager that it’s more than a few.

American companies lost $11 billion last year due to slip and fall accidents, a figure that doesn’t take into account lost productivity or liability costs from personal injury cases.

It doesn’t have to be that way for you and your company. Here are a few ways you can protect your workers, customers, vendors and anyone else visiting your business from slip and fall accidents.

1. Clean up

Keeping walkways free of clutter is the first step in preventing injuries. Your workers are less likely to trip over unanticipated objects.

When floors aren’t cleaned often enough, built-up dirt can cause surfaces to become slippery. At the same time, using the wrong cleaning product or overcleaning your floors can damage the floor’s finish, which is there to prevent falls.

Try to schedule floor cleaning for times when foot-traffic is at a minimum, and on days without wet or wintry weather, as these conditions tend to make floors slippery to begin with.

And clean up spills right away. Some substances can make the floor even more slippery if allowed to permeate the surface. When spills happen, put out “Caution: Wet Floor” signs and start cleaning up as soon as possible.

2. Handrails and stairways

Falls on stairways are quite common, so be sure to keep them well-lit and uncluttered. Put up handrails and mark the top and bottom step with reflective tape. Remove unsecured carpets or rugs from the landings and stairs.

3. Lights and signs

Some well-placed signs can call attention to potential trouble spots: steps, gaps, uneven ground, loose rocks, etc. And make sure your work area is well-lit. Steps and other slip/trip hazards can often hide in shadows or dimly-lit areas.

4. Proper footwear

Make sure employees wear footwear that’s right for their job, which means shoes with proper traction whenever possible.

5. Throw rugs and power cords

Does your business have wooden or tile floors in areas that are prone to spills? Putting down some throw rugs can help prevent slip and fall accidents. Just make sure you’re using rugs that have a non-skid pad underneath to keep it from slipping on the floor.

Try to keep phone cords and power cables underneath carpeting or behind walls, and put outlets, phone jacks and internet connections in places that allow you to avoid outing wires in people’s paths.

6. Remember your outdoor walkways

Most of these tips deal with conditions indoors, but it’s important to make sure people have an unobstructed pathway on your sidewalks and outdoor walkways. Repair cracks and holes promptly, place warning signs on areas that need repair, and clear away snow and ice as soon as possible.

Have you suffered a workplace injury due to a slip and fall accident? The personal injury attorneys at Penglase & Benson can help. Our lawyers draw on more than seven decades of legal experience to help you seek justice while you recover from your injury.